POIPU BEACH, Hawaii -- Tiger Woods wants to win every tournament, whether it's the Masters or an all-star event like the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

''I'm here to compete, there's no doubt about that,'' he said. ''I'm here to win.''

The Masters and U.S. Open champion shot a 6-under-par 66 Tuesday to take a three-stroke lead over Justin Leonard in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

Davis Love III and PGA Championship winner Rich Beem opened with a 72 in the 36-hole event for the year's major champions.

With Woods winning two majors and British Open champion Ernie Els withdrawing from the event, Love and Leonard gained invitations based on their finishes in the majors.

Woods, who is seeking his fifth consecutive Grand Slam title, put pressure on his opponents early en route to his bogey-free round. He made the turn at 31 to take a two-stroke lead over Leonard and Love.

''I love coming back,'' Woods said. ''For one thing, I've had a pretty good year to come back. But each and every time I've been here, I've always enjoyed it.''

Woods' front nine included an eagle on the 524-yard No. 2 and birdies on Nos. 4, 6 and 7. He played remained steady on the back nine, and he added a birdie on the 537-yard 14th hole.

On the eagle, Woods blasted a 343-yard drive and hit an 8-iron within 25 feet of the cup. He sank the putt, drawing a roar from the gallery.

''As far as being three shots ahead, there's a lot of work still ahead for me,'' Woods said. ''I need to out there and post another good number.''

Leonard drew within a stroke of with a birdie on No. 11, but Woods got a stroke back three holes later. Leonard then carded his first bogey on No. 17 by lipping a 3-foot putt.

''I felt like I hit the ball really well today; a little disappointed with the way I putted,'' he said.

In balmy and relatively calm conditions at the 7,081-yard oceanside Poipu Bay Golf Course on the island of Kauai, Davis had three birdies on the front nine. But he ran into trouble on the backside, bogeying four times, including three of the final four holes.

''I missed a little putt at 11 and 12 and after that, I kind of struggled my way in, trying to force it a little bit,'' he said.

Beem, the only player in the foursome making his first Grand Slam appearance, said he learned quite a bit from watching Woods, but summed it up in a few words, saying, ''He's really good.''

Beem opened his round with a birdie on the 428-yard, par-3 first hole, but lost a stroke on the 209-yard third after his approach shot landed in the right bunker. He parred the next 10 holes, added a birdie on No. 14 and a bogey on No. 16.

''After I had the lead after the first hole, I felt comfortable with my chances, then it went downhill from there,'' Beem said. ''I didn't hit the ball particular well and didn't putt very well either.''

While Love, Leonard and Woods went with their traditional golf attire, Beem went Hawaiian style -- to the extreme.

He wore golf shoes with a hula dancer airbrushed on one side and palm trees on the other. It complemented his untucked floral aloha shirt and his driver head painted in a colorful Hawaiian print.

''Everybody around here wears a Hawaiian shirt,'' Beem said. ''Except for the shoes and driver head, I think I fit right in.''

But it was Woods who caught the crowd's attention by continuing his dominance. He also had an explanation for Beem's clothes: ''He got dressed in the dark.''

Woods this season became the first player to win both the PGA Player of the Year and Vardon Trophy honors for four straight years. He also topped the money list for the fourth straight year with $6,912,625 on the PGA Tour.

Woods won last year's Grand Slam by finishing with a record 12-under 132 total for a three-stroke victory over David Toms.

The winner will receive $400,000 from the $1 million purse.

Divots: After TNT commentator and former NBA star Charles Barkley questioned Woods' listed height of 6-foot-2, Woods responded by saying, ''Every program said you were 6-6. You're no more than 6-4 on a good day.''

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, November 27, 2002.